The moral of this story appears to be:-
1) Only accept payment by bank transfer (BACS) prior to any inspection. (We have had no problems with this).
2) Make sure all reports have copyright clauses.
3) Don’t offer Level 3 surveys. Some clients expect too much of a ‘top level’ report. Home Survey Reports are perfectly suitable for the vast majority of residential properties. I cannot remember losing a client by not offering a Level 3.
David you have my sympathies. Some clients are intrinsically difficult – fortunately they did not proceed to purchase!
Trevor Brown FRICS